Things I'll Never Say
by Dont-Stop-Believin
Summary: Taylor's thoughts and feelings about Chad and going to the after party with him an her growing relationship with him. Chaylor/Troyella.Song fic. Three shot.
1. Things I'll Never Say

**Author's Note: Hey!. I just decided to do this little song fic, just for fun and I'd wanted to do something like this for a while, so, here it is. Thanks to all who have supported me: and I will not be taking **_The Season for Miracles _**off of fanfiction and will update later, if so. Anyways, I hope you enjoy and possibly another fic chapter soon!!!. Love ya all!. **

Taylor McKessie sat at Gabriella's vanity, the two were getting ready for the after party to celebrate the Wildcats win once again over West High. Taylor stared at her reflection, brushing her hair continuously, thinking back on how she got herself into this situation in the first place.

_**I'm tugging at my hair**_

_**I'm pulling at my clothes**_

_**I'm trying to keep my cool**_

_**I know it shows**_

_**I'm staring at my feet**_

_**My checks are turning red**_

_**I'm searching for the words inside my head**_

_The whole gym erupted into celebration over their victory__, Troy, Gabriella, __Sharpay__, Ryan, she and Chad all joining together, now as friends. The Status Quo was broken!__."__Yo__, Wildcats!" Troy had called out over the music that still blasted around the gym. "After party at my house__ 7:00!" he shouted, the whole gym once more erupted in cheers. Gabriella and Taylor giggled happily as they begun to play with some of the confetti that had fallen around the gym. Troy and Chad suddenly came up behind them, Chad grabbing Taylor by the waist, as Troy wrapped an arm around Gabriella's shoulder._

_"Chad, you scared me" Taylor said, giggling, suddenly nervous to be in Chad's presence. "Having fun?" he asked, seeing all the confetti that was caught up in her hair. Chuckling, he brushed some of it off, Taylor'__s heart began to race, __she__ refused to meet his eyes, oblivious to the fact that Chad's cheeks were turning red. __"Just celebrating a great win" she answered, her face growing red__ as well__. "And you were great!" she said suddenly, her smile faded as she realized what she had said. __Taylor prayed that __somehow__ Chad had not heard her, __unfortunately his smile __wided__, meaning he had, "Thanks" he smiled at her, "So were you" he said, Taylor's face burning now. She couldn't believe it, after all these years of fighting, they were being nice, and flirting a little__ She was actually flirting with __Lunkhead__Danforth__ One of the athletes she'd loathed for so long_

_The moment was suddenly broken by Troy calling to him. "I __gotta__ go change but, I'll pick you up at say, 7:00?" he asked, hopefully. Once again her head spun and she answered without thinking. "Yeah, I'll be as Gabi's" she said, smiling widely. Chad chuckled as well, slowly beginning to back away, but not taking his eyes off of her. "Ok, see you later" he said softly, still smiling as he turned to head to the locker room with Troy._

_Gabriella snuck up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder, a wide and__ knowing smile on her own face. Obviously, she'd been watching the conversation, but she had to ask, "What was that all about?__",__ she watched Taylor closely, waiting for a __responce__. Taylor was finally broken out of her daydream at Gabriella's question. That's when the reality finally came into effect. "I have a date with Chad __Danforth__" she said, somewhere between dreamily and nervously. __Gabriella just chuckled at her friend, the reality had finally hit her. "Well, come on" she said, pulling on her best friend's arm. "Let's go get ready and knock those boys dead!" she giggled, pulling Taylor towards the gym door and the two were off to Gabriella's house to prepare. _

Taylor sighed as she came back to the present time, continuously brushing her hair over and over. Gabriella, who had just pulled a outfit from the closet, glanced over to her friend. "Tay, your hair is done!. Any more brushing and you're going to make it poofy" she said, coming over and taking the brush out of Taylor's hands and smoothing it out herself.

_**(Cause) I'm feeling nervous**_

_**Trying to be so perfect**_

_**Cause I know you're worth it**_

_**You're worth it**_

_**Yeah**_

Taylor huffed and got up from her chair as Gabriella finished. "Does this outfit look good?" she asked, going over to the full-length mirror and looking at herself at all angles. "What about this one?" she asked, taking on outfit off of the bed. "Or this one?" she asked, taking another. Gabriella came over and took both out of her hands.

"Taylor, you look fine!" she insisted, but Taylor didn't seem convinced, she sat down on the bed in a huff. "What's wrong?." Gabriella asked, throwing the clothes back on the bed, and sitting down next to her friend. "I'm nervous!. I've never actually been asked out by one of the popular guys before, they've always just ignored me" she said. "And I guess I've always had... kinda..." Taylor began quietly, Gabriella waited for her to continue. "A crush on Chad. So I need make a good impression!" Taylor blurted. "I want to be as beautiful as any of those cheerleaders" she admitted quietly. Gabriella smiled sadly. "But you are!. And besides, you shouldn't have to change yourself for some guy!" Gabriella advised. "Just be yourself!". "And even though Chad may be a little arrogant" Gabriella continued. " He seems really sweet and likes you for who you are!" Gabriella insisted., causing Taylor to chuckle, bumping Taylor's shoulder.

"I guess" Taylor said, lifting her head. "Come on, at least give him a chance." She said. "You never know what might happen" Gabriella insisted, a wide smile on her face. Taylor smiled at her in appreciation. Gabriella glanced at the clock on her bedside table, they had an hour and a half left. "Come on, the guys will be here to soon" Gabriella said, pulling Taylor off of the bed. "And when I'm done with you, Chad Danforth will be able to take his eyes off of you!"

Taylor and Gabriella were just finishing up their hair and makeup when they heard the bell ring. Both stopped what they were doing, and glanced at the clock, it read exactly 7:00. They both turned to the other. "They're here!. Ready?" Gabriella asked, Taylor's smile wide, "Sort of" she answered, biting her lip softly. Gabriella rolled her eyes, and grabbed Taylor's arm, "Your ready, and you look great!" she said, pulling Taylor out the door. Coming down the stairs, the girls saw Chad and Troy in the entrance hall, conversing quietly with Gabriella's mom, when they finally glanced up at the girls, both of their mouths dropped open. Taylor wore green tank top with a flower design on the side and faded jeans. Gabriella wore a black and white stripped tank top with navy jeans. Both girls smiled as they came down the stairs and towards the boys, both couples were engulfed in hugs. "Hey" Chad greeted her, wrapping his arms around Taylor, she began to blush.

_**If I could say what I want to say**_

_**I'd say I wanna blow you... away**_

_**Be with you every night**_

_**Am I squeezing you too tight**_

_**If I could say what I want to see**_

_**I want to see you go downOn one knee**_

_**Marry me today**_

_**Yes, I'm wishing my life away**_

_**With these things I'll never say**_

"Hey" she answered back, she pulled back and saw him looking at her in complete awe. "You look really great" he said softly, a wide smile on his face. Taylor blushed deepened further, her heart racing. "Thanks" she said, nervously brushing some hair out of her face. She took this time to look Chad once over, and she had to say, she was quite impressed. Chad wore a light blue striped tee with navy jeans that showed off his toned legs from all the basketball, his hair was the same as always, though it was brushed. "You too", she continued.

Troy and Gabriella watched the two, smiling knowingly. Troy had a white formal t-shirt with navy jeans. "Well, we better get going before the other party people arrive" Troy called, opening the door and leading Gabriella out the door. "I'll see you later, mom!" she called out the door. Taylor and Chad giggled. "Don't want to loose them" Chad said, chuckling nervously. He took her hand and began leading her out the door.

Taylor almost lost all ability to talk, "We'll call if we're going to be late" she blurted out, as she almost out the door. Mrs. Montez chuckled to herself. "Have fun!. And be safe!" she called as the couples piled into Troy's car, and watched at the door as it was started and then drove off. The foursome conversed quite pleasantly among themselves. Taylor noticed that she and Chad sat quite comfortably close since they'd settled into the back seat of Troy's car. She was also surprised that the conversation was kept up quite well, there was no uncomfortable silences, and once in a while, the two would smile shyly at the other. Gabriella had caught her gaze once or twice, smiling knowingly.

_**It don't do me any good**_

_**It's just a waste of time**_

_**What use is it to you**_

_**What's on my mind**_

_**If ain't coming out**_

_**We're not going anywhere**_

_**So why can't I just tell you that I care**_

Turning to look out the window, 'So far, so good', Taylor thought to herself, 'I hope everything goes well', she turned her attention once more to the front, and caught sight of Chad, who smiled at her brightly, she returned it. 'Please like me', she thought. "Ok, here we are!" Troy announced, pulling into his driveway and parking. All of them started to get out, Taylor sighed deeply before opening her door, 'Here we go!', she thought, stepping out, only to be met by Chad. "Here, let me" he said, closing the door behind her. Her gaze still stuck on him, and he took it as nerves. "You nervous?" he asked, looking at her worriedly. She came back to life, chuckling softly. "A little" she admitted, as they started walking.

_**If I could say what I want to say**_

_**I'd say I wanna blow you... away**_

_**Be with you every night**_

_**Am I squeezing you too tight**_

_**If I could say what I want to see**_

_**I want to see you go down on one knee**_

_**Marry me today**_

_**Yes, I'm wishing my life away**_

_**With these things I'll never say**_

Chad suddenly placed his hand in hers, threading his fingers through hers and squeezing them softly. Surprised, Taylor turned towards him, a smile reflecting his own, spread across her face. She removed her gaze to the ground to hide her returning blush as they walked up the way to the house. They stopped once they got to the door. Taylor's breath seemed to have quickened and she felt herself shake slightly. Chad once more squeezed her hand, a little tighter this time, she turned to him. "It's ok to be nervous" he said softly to her, "But I'll be here for you" he said, finishing with a bright smile. She chuckled nervously, breathing a deep sigh, feeling Chad tighten his grip before he lead her through the door.

**Author's Note: Hey!. Hope you enjoyed it, I did my best to try to go along with the song. Hope you enjoyed it anyways, and please review!!!. Love ya!.**


	2. You and Me

**Author's note: Hey guys!. Thought it was time for another chappie. This is their first date and this is kinda an insight to their thoughts about each other and a some other fun. Also, I don't know if there is always going to be a song for every chapter, but there is gonna be song chappies. So with that, enjoy and please remember to review. **

Once Troy had opened the front door, upbeat music and indistinctive conversations hit the foursome with full force. Taylor's eyes went wide and her mouth agape as she stepped into the house with Chad by her side, her eyes fell over the whole room, almost everyone had some kind of alcoholic beverage in their hand, happily mingling in large groups, and those that didn't, were on the dance floor, couples grinding against each other to the music. Cheers and shouts erupted from the kitchen from some kind of drinking game going on, and there were various couples already making out, half drunk all over the house. What worried Taylor the most was that she only recognized a couple of people she'd normally socialize with. 

"So, what do you think?" Chad asked, watching Taylor for her take on the rowdy party. Taylor didn't say anything, just turned to him and smiled nervously. "How about we start with a drink?" Troy suggested, seeing the distress on Taylor's face. "Yea, that would be great" Taylor agreed. Chad squeezed her hand reassuringly, "Won't be long" he said, sending her a smile before heading to the kitchen with Troy.� Gabriella took this moment to reassure her best friend, "Some party, huh?" she asked, not knowing really what to say."Gabi, I can't do this!" she said shakely, "I mean, this is not what I'm used to!. I only know a couple of people here!" she said. Gabriella then took her hand and led her to the couch that wasn't already occupied by a horny teenage couple. 

"I know it's a little rowdy" Gabriella said, also glancing around. Upon saying that, the party seemed to have picked up even more!. Some of the jocks, who clearly were wasted beyond the possible limit, were starting to throw around valuable looking items, doing very poorly at being able to catch them, and just laughing hysterically at the mess it had caused.� Gabriella gave a look of disgust before turning her attention back to Taylor, "But you just got to make the best of it" she encouraged. "You never know, this might be one of the best nights of your life!" Gabriella said, smiling brightly. Taylor returned the smile. "I guess so, maybe I am being a baby" Taylor said, a bit embarrassed. Gabriella patted her hands, "No, you're just a little nervous" she said. "Everyone's here to have fun, not to judge, the Status Quo is broken!" Gabriella smiled.

"Yea, and we won the championship and Decathlon!. It's a night to celebrate" Taylor joined in, Gabriella joined in the laughter. "Here's where you got to" Troy said, he and Chad coming up to the two girls, both with two cups in hand. "What's so funny?" he asked, as he took a seat next to Gabriella, handing her the cup, Chad doing the same to Taylor. Gabriella shot Taylor a smile, before answering, "Nothing". Troy gave her a look before the sound of another glass vase breaking interrupted him. "Should they really be doing that?" Gabriella asked, eyeing the drunk jocks nervously. "No, Dad was suppose to lock those up before anyone got here, but he, Jason and Zeke got into a basketball game" Troy chuckled. "And now a drinking game in the kitchen" 

"What about your mom?" Taylor asked, taking a sip from her cup. "She's out with some of her friends" Troy said. "But she's not going to like this" Troy chuckled nervously. The foursome became worried as the jocks got into another one of Mrs. Bolton's priceless heirlooms. "Hey, that's not for throwing, put that down!" Troy yelled above the music that blared around the living room, hurrying over towards his friends to try and stop them, Gabriella smiled at Taylor and Chad nervously, "Have fun tonight" she whispered to Taylor, once more patting her hand, "I'll see you guys later" she said before following Troy. Finally alone together, a sort of silence fell across the couple. 

Chad turned to her as she took another sip from her plastic cup. "Are you alright?" Chad asked, watching her for any kind of sign she was with or against the party. "Yea, I'm fine" she admitted, "Now that the shock wore off and I joined the party" Taylor joked, raising her cup. The couple shared a laugh before it got silent again. A smile came to her lips. "Me too" she said, they smiled at each other as they remained silent. Chad was about to speak again when they were suddenly interupted by some of Chad's�jock friends�coming over to greet him, Chad also�returned their enthusiasim. 

Taylor watched, feeling a little left�out.�"You guys know Taylor McKessie" Chad�gestured towards the girl sitting across from them, the spotlight suddenly turned to the surprised Taylor, who waved shyly. The other boys greeted her as they had greeted Chad, clapping her on the back and throwing an arm around her�shoulders,�Chad watched in amusement. Taylor laughed along with them�nervously, quickly escaping out�of their grasp and getting to her feet. "I think I'm going to go�get something to�eat" she excused herself. "This way to the kitchen?" she asked Chad, pointing right of where they were sitting.�

Feeling her anxiety to get out,�Chad's smile faded, wishing�she would stay longer, there was still so much he wanted to�know about her, spend time with her, he nodded in response. "Nice seeing you all" she�said to the other boys, who nodded as well, before heading off towards the kitchen, Chad watched her with disappointment. "She's kinda cute!" one of the boys commented once she was gone, causing the other boys to tease him and become playful. Chad felt his heart lurch, feeling�sadness and jealousy come over him, missing Taylor. "Yea, she is" he said to himself, glancing in the�direction she'd just went. "Come on Chad,�there's this�hot blonde I think you'd want to meet"�one of the boys said, latching onto Chad,�despite his protests, dragging�him off. �

"I'm really happy that you decided to come with us" Chad admitted, sending a small smile her way, which she mirrored instantly. "Me too" she said, she turned her eyes once more to the party surrounding them. "I think this should be fun!" she said, smiling brightly, Chad nodded and laughed happily at her instant mood change, happy she had a change of heart.� "It wouldn't be the same without you" he said, meaning it to be more to himself, however, she must have heard it, for she instantly turned to look at him. 

The rest of the night went on a lot better than Taylor had originally thought. With a drink in hand, she begun mingling with people she knew from school, getting used to conversing with the people she normally avoided the whole school year. At first, she was a little reluctant but as soon as an interesting enough topic came up, she began chatting away with the rest of the group. Taylor even begun talking to Sharpay Evans, and found that she wasn't as demanding as she was before, perhaps losing the role of Minnie to Gabriella actually did some good. "Do you sing too?" Sharpay asked as they stood among a group doing shots around the kitchen table. "No, I'm more into the dancing instead" Taylor said, smiling politely. 

Sharpay noticed that Taylor kept on glancing into her plastic cup nervously, obviously uncomfortable. "First big party?" she asked, smiling sweetly. Taylor's expression turned even more uneasy at Sharpay's question. "Is it that obvious?" Taylor countered. Sharpay chuckled knowingly. "It's alright. We're all friends now, there's nothing to be nervous about" Sharpay said, smiling. By the way that Sharpay kept smiling at her, Taylor had a strange feeling that she was being played. "Here, why don't I go top up your drink?" she said sweetly, taking the plastic cup out of Taylor's hands before she could respond. "What are you drinking?" she asked. "Orange-lime shooter" Taylor said, playing along. Sharpay wasn't surprised that 'Goody two-shoes McKessie' didn't drink, but she thought it be fun if she did. 

"I'll be right back" Sharpay said, hurriedly ducking out before Taylor could say another word. Taylor continued to watch the table of jocks, skaters and some of the drama people drink themselves stupid. "Here you go!" Sharpay said, the cup offered back to Taylor. Taylor glanced into the cup, wondering if Sharpay had drugged her somehow. However, she didn't find anything unusual. "Thanks, Sharpay" Taylor said, a bit uneasily. "Oh please, it's Shar!" Sharpay insisted, placing an arm around Taylor's shoulders. "Since we're such great buddies now, Tay" Sharpay said. The suspicions only got stronger, though it seemed perfectly normal. "Drink up, Tay!" Sharpay said cheerfully, bumping cups with Taylor in cheers.

After watching Sharpay take a sip of hers, Taylor decided to take a sip of hers, the taste of orange juice and the tanginess of vodka flooded her taste buds, though she didn't mind the vodka, actually, she quite liked the zip to it. Continuing to gulp it down, Taylor ignored the fuzzy feeling beginning in the back of her mind. Finally removing the cup from her lips, she licked them clean and sighed happily. Sharpay watched, a wicked smile spreading across her face, 'This party just got interesting'. Chad, Troy and Gabriella were all happily chattering with the rest of the not-so-loaded jocks and some of the Decathlon members, Troy with his arm slung around Gabriella's shoulder as she laughed at the jokes the jocks kept throwing at her. That's when Chad missed Taylor's company, in fact, he hadn't seen her in a while. "Hey, have you seen Taylor?" Chad whispered over to Troy and Gabriella, who nodded or shrugged.

Getting a little worried, Chad decided to go on a search for her. "I'm going to go top up my drink" Chad called to the others, who nodded in understanding. As he made his way to the kitchen, his eyes scanned for any sign of the dark skinned, brown eyed beauty, but there was nothing. It wasn't until Chad entered the kitchen, that he caught attention to the shooters game, particularly one new member at the table. "Taylor?" Chad questioned as he came up beside her. Hearing her name, Taylor spun around to meet him, almost falling of the chair in the process, Chad caught her quickly. "Chad!" she exclaimed, clutching at his chest. "Where were you, I missed you sexy!" she slurred, trying her best to keep her eyes focused on him but failing miserably.

"Are you drunk?" Chad asked, chuckling a little bit as he pulled Taylor up so that she wrapped her arms around his neck instead of his middle, Taylor laughing uncontrollably throughout. "I might have had a couple" she giggled. "But now I'm more interested in getting my fill of you, Danforth" she said, eyeing him seductively, beginning to run a finger teasingly down Chad's cheek. Chad smiled, he had to admit, there was more to Taylor McKessie than what any of them have originally thought, and as he got to know her better, he found he was falling for her more and more. Chad had also grown to respect Taylor more, and he knew now was the time to take care of her. "Come on, you need to lie down" Chad said, securing a grip on Taylor and starting to pull her towards the living room.

Taylor began to laughing heartedly, gaining anyone's attention as they passed by. Entering the living room, Chad brought her to the nearest couch, Taylor's arm secured around Chad's neck, so that both of�them tumbled onto the couch in a heap, Taylor laughing uncontrollably. "Stay here, I'm going to get you some water" Chad instructed, removing her arm from around his neck. Just as he was about to leave, a slow song came onto the speakers, suddenly entrancing Taylor, her eyes wide with excitement. "I love this song!" she slurred, "Come dance with me!" she said, hoping back on her feet, although her head suddenly spun and she began to fall forwards, Chad instantly ran to catch her. "Tay, I don't think now's the best time-" he began but was stopped as Taylor gave him the puppy dog eyes.

"You don't want to dance with me?" she asked shyly. Despite her being drunk, Chad had to chuckle even through her drunken haze she was persistent and quite outgoing than usual, which he admired. "I'd love to dance with you" he said with a sly smirk, he was about to continue when Taylor suddenly took his hand, "Then let dance!" she said, dragging him off towards the dance floor in a stumble. Many times Chad had to stabilize her with an arm around the waist, but he happily followed his drunken date off to join the rest of the dancing couples in loving embarrass. Taylor took charge by instantly wrapping her arms around Chad's neck as he followed her lead and placed his around her waist. As they begun swaying to the music, Taylor let the words overcome her:

_**What day is it? And in what month?  
This clock never seemed so alive  
I can't keep up and I can't back down  
I've been losing so much time**_

Taylor glanced up at Chad through her drunken haze, her heart fluttering at the sexy smirk on his face as he too looked back at her. 'Why did I dislike him in the first place?' she thought to herself. 'He's so cute!. I wish I had spent more time with him!', she thought sadly, despite having been separated for so long by the status quo, she thought this time now was special.

_**'Cause it's you and me**_

_**and all of the people with nothing to do  
Nothing to lose  
And it's you and me and all other people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you**_

As they continued to dance, Chad and Taylor began to feel themselves become lost in their own little world, in each other's eyes. A tingling feeling flowed through both of them as the music overtook them, as they enjoyed each other's company, and the beginning of what seemed like a beautiful relationship.

_**One of the things that I want to say**_

_**just aren't coming out right  
I'm tripping on words  
You've got my head spinning  
I don't know where to go from here**_

_**There's something about you now  
I can't quite figure out**__**  
**_

_**Everything she does is beautiful  
Everything she does is right**_

Chad smiled down at her, remembering the time the two teamed up to break up Troy and Gabriella. Chad had been amazed at her skill with computers and coming up with such a brilliant scheme. That was the night that he started to see her in a new light.�She was like no other girl, shy but sly, beautiful but has a brain, smart but not cocky and��now, here she was, the beautiful and brilliant girl he admired so much right here in his arms. 

_**'Cause it's you and me and all of the people with nothing to do  
Nothing to lose  
And it's you and me and all other people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you  
and me and all other people with nothing to do  
Nothing to prove  
And it's you and me and all other people  
And I don't know why, I can't keep my eyes off of you**_

As the song finally ended, neither Chad nor Taylor looked away from the other, their gazes locked with love as they also felt heat rise to their cheeks. "I think I need to sit down" Taylor mumbled, breaking the uncomfortable silence that fell over the two. Chad smirked at this, "Alright" he agreed, guiding her back towards the couch with his arm still tight around her waist. Gently dropping her into a sitting position on the couch, he watched with slight concern as Taylor placed a heavy hand to her spinning head, the alcohol was finally starting to wear off. "I'll be back with some water" he said, making sure she was comfortable. "Just stay there" he said, sending her a playful smirk as response to her glare. 

Nodding in response, Chad headed towards the kitchen to grab some water. Taylor sat there in pain, holding her head painfully as she tried to keep down the burning sensation to throw up. The party was practically over, only a few guests still remain, but they were not to far from heading home themselves. That's when Gabriella came over, quickly plopping down on the couch next to Taylor, which caused Taylor's stomach to turn slightly at the motion. 

"Please don't do that" Taylor groaned, trying to shoot Gabriella a death glare but her head began to worsen, causing her to groan harder. Gabriella watched her friend in worry and slight amusement. "Are you alright, Tay?" she asked. Taylor only responded with a grunt, having rested her forehead against her hand which was lain over the arm of the couch.� Gabriella couldn't help but giggle a little as she rubbed Taylor's back soothingly. Finally, Chad returned with a large cup of water, handing it to Gabriella and replaced her on the couch next to Taylor. "How are you feeling?" he asked Taylor, trying to see past her hair. "Leave me to die" she groaned, causing Chad and Gabriella to glance at each other. "I'll lift her, you give her the water" Chad directed Gabriella.

Gabriella nodded, watching as Chad secured his arms around Taylor's waist and began lifting her towards him. Groaning painfully, Taylor flopped back easily onto Chad's chest, her head rolling slightly against his shoulder. Adjusting her against him, Chad nodded to Gabriella for the water. "What happened to her?" Gabriella asked as the two watched their friend gulp down the water. "I guess someone spiked her drink" Chad told her, never taking worried eyes off of Taylor as she drank the cold water. They gasped as she suddenly began to cough, Gabriella quickly moved the nearest trashcan over, and Chad leaned Taylor towards it just in case she spit up. "Poor Taylor!.Who could have done this?" Gabriella asked, patting Taylor on the back. The last of the guests greeted Chad and Gabriella goodnight, Chad more concerned about Taylor to care about them.

Among them was Sharpay who waltzed by, Zeke's arm around her waist, keeping her up. "Thanks again, Danforth, Montez" Sharpay smiled drunkenly at them, "Good luck with Taylor, heard she hit the bottle pretty hard" She teased. "Guess she better learn to hold her liquor better" Sharpay giggled at her own joke, causing both Chad and Gabriella to stare curiously at her. "Come on, Shar" Zeke called, placing her pink Chanel coat over her shoulders.� "We got to get you home!" Zeke replied, pulling Sharpay along by the arm as he headed out, bidding goodnight to Gabriella and Chad, and wishing that Taylor felt better in the morning. Once they were gone, Gabriella looked towards Chad, who was once more feeding Taylor the water. "Do you think she had something to do with this?" Gabriella asked.

Taylor sputtered again causing Chad to pull the cup away. "I don't know, but we'll deal with her later" Chad replied, placing the cup at her lips again. "For now, we have to take care of Taylor" Chad said sweetly, causing Gabriella to smile gently at his concern, 'he really does love her' she thought to herself. Coughing once more, Taylor pushed away the water, slowly trying to sit up into a sitting position. "We have to get home, Gabi" she said groggily. Gabriella gasped, she was having so much fun that she forgot all about calling her mother. Glancing at the clock, she noticed it was now ten minutes after two in the morning!. "I'll be right back!" she replied, Taylor getting to her feet, only to be caught again by Chad. 

"No, Taylor!. Your not going anywhere tonight!" he chided, pushing her back onto the couch. Taylor scrambled against him, trying her hardest to get onto her feet. "I'm fine, Chad!. I have to get home!" she tried, but was still unsuccessful against his arm. "Your too sick to go home" Chad tried. "You need to sleep it off" Chad said. "He's right, Tay" Gabriella told her, having re-appeared before the two. "I called my mom and explained everything" Gabriella said. "She was a little sketchy with the idea, but she thought it best to stay here" Gabriella stated. "See, now please lie down!" Chad said, trying to get Taylor to lie on the couch. However, she sat up quickly, grabbing the garbage and horridly wrenching into the can.

Chad and Gabriella looked at her disgustedly. "You stay and take care of Tay, I'll go see if I can find Troy, and make sure he's alright too" Gabriella replied, glancing sympathetically at Taylor before heading off� to find her boy. Wiping her mouth with a tissue, Taylor flopped back onto the couch, tiredly. "I feel like I'm dying!" she yelped. "I'm never drinking again!" she said, causing Chad to chuckle.� "Glad you learned your lesson" he teased, coming back over to her with a blanket in his hands. Chad covered her gently with the blanket as Taylor's eyes shut, tired and sick. Chad took a moment to look a her, her face weak and forehead sweaty but she still looked amazing to him. "Night, Tay" he said softly, "Try to get some sleep", beginning to walk away. Suddenly, realizing he was leaving, Taylor quickly grabbed hold of his sleeve.

Chad turned curiously, surprised to see Taylor holding his sleeve, a pained expression on her face. "Stay with me tonight?" she asked softly. "Gabriella's got Troy and I don't want to be alone" she said, looking at him painfully. Chad couldn't help but smile. "Sure, Tay" he said, happily. Taylor smiled weakly, sitting up enough for Chad to squeeze in behind her, wrapping them both in the blanket. Settling down, Chad wrapped his arms around Taylor gently, a smile spread on both their faces. The two were just laid there in silence for a few moments, Chad was sure that Taylor was fast asleep by now, Taylor loving the feel of how he held her, already feeling better. Suddenly, Taylor turned in his arms, resting her head on his shoulder, snuggling closer to him. "Thank you" she whispered, before falling back to sleep.

Chad smiled at her, resting his head on hers and pulling her closer. "I'll always be there for you, Tay" he whispered back, before he too fell into a fitful sleep. Unbeknownst to the two that Troy and Gabriella watched from the top of the stairs, smiling triumphantly. "Come on, we better get to sleep too" Troy chided, guiding Gabriella up to his bedroom. 

**Author's Note: Hey, I know that was kinda long, but I hope you enjoyed it anyways!. I'll be updating SFM soon, but I want to focus and finally finish my laguna fic, Tough Love. But I'll be back soon!. Love y'all!. Peace!.**


	3. The Next Morning

**Author's Note: Hey everybody!!. Sorry for the long absence but I'm back now with a new chappie, and hopefully you all will like it. Thank you for your patience and loyalty.This chapter isn't a song-chappie, but it does have a reference. I'm gonna try and make this fic a song fic, if you have any suggestions, that would be great. This is the next morning with our favourite foursome!!. What will happen?. Find out now. Enjoy. I do not own HSM, I only own the plotline.**

The next morning, Taylor woke up in a haze from the night before. As she slowly begun to open her eyes to the world, the sunlight blinding her for a brief moment, her whole body ached, some because of the hangover, and some from sleeping in an uncomfortable position for too long. Taylor held her head in pain as she let out a terrible groan, rolling over to try and get into a more comfortable position, when she came into contact with something warm. Confused, and a little frightened, Taylor wondered if she'd slept with anyone from the night before, and that's when it all came rushing back to her. The after party, the drinking, the dancing, her friends worrying about her, sleeping on the couch, and vaguely but surely, asking Chad to stay with her. Taylor's cheeks suddenly became very hot at the thought, and as she cracked an eye open, se partly hoped it was a dream.

However, sure enough, there was Chad, sleeping soundly, with a carefree expression and the smallest hint of a smirk playing on his lips. Taylor's heart couldn't help but flutter at the scene before her. She also took a moment to realize the position they were in on the couch; snuggled up in a blanket, Chad's arm loosely but protectively around her waist, her head rested in the crook of his neck, his cheek resting gently on her head, some of his curls fell over her. Taylor couldn't help but crack a small smile as she continued to watch him sleep, thinking back on his generous acts towards her safety the night before, even though her memories were still a bit hazy. Sighing softly, Taylor snuggled a bit closer as she thought about how fate works in mysterious ways, she never would have imagined things to turn out the way they did; how she and Gabriella had the two most popular guys in school!.

Taylor thoughts were suddenly interrupted by Chad suddenly stirring beside her. Taylor remained still as she felt Chad begin to stretch out his limbs and give a huge yawn, the arm he had around her waist tightened around her for a moment as he stretched, her cheeks beginning to glow once more. Finally settling, Chad rubbed his free hand over his face as if to brush of the sleep from his features and turned to Taylor. Seeing that she was already awake but somewhat trying to avoid his presence, Chad gave a smile. "Good morning" he greeted her, his voice hoarse from the sleeping. The heat rose a little in Taylor's cheeks, her earlier hopes that he had gone back to sleep were faltered. "Morning" she greeted back. "How's your head? Any better?" Chad asked as he slipped his arm from around Taylor and begun to stretch that arm. Taylor thought for a moment. She had been so distracted by Chad since she first cracked an eye that she forgot all about the throbbing in her head, which now that she thought on it, was somewhat less in pain at the moment.

"Yea, quite a lot better" she said, a hint of a smile now graced her lips, now wondering how Chad could have such an effect on her, including how much she loved it. Chad's smile widened at her comment, "I'm glad. You had quite the coming out last night" Chad commented, pushing himself up onto his elbow to be able to see Taylor clearer. "It was a night to go down in Wildcat history" he said, "One none of us will ever forget" he joked, causing Taylor to giggle and slap him playfully on the arm. There was a brief moment of silence between the two until Chad started to move again, this time trying to sit up. "I'm a little hungry, what about you?" Chad asked as he begun to shift himself into a sitting position. "Yea, I think I'm ready for some food" Taylor responded, also starting to get up. However, as she sat up, her headache from the night before suddenly hit her full force and she groaned as she held her head in pain. Seeing her pain, Chad turned to her worriedly, slipping an arm around her shoulders. "Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yea, just need a advil" said, holding her head, wishing the throbbing pain would go away. Taylor was so pre-occupied with her throbbing head that she hardly noticed Chad had stood her up, the movement causing her head to jolt violently, Taylor feeling herself begin to fall forward. "Whoa, there!" Chad said, catching her quickly, arm firmly around her shoulders as he slowly began to guide her towards the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, Chad directed her to the kitchen table, Taylor hardly noticing until she was firmly planted in he chair. Still holding her head, Taylor watched out of the corner of her eye as Chad moved skilfully around the kitchen, as if it was his own. Chad fixed her some coffee, grabbing two pills from the bottle he'd found in the cabinet, and headed back over to her, pills and cup in hand.

"Here, it will help with that nasty hangover" he said gently, placing the cup in front of her, the pills next to it. Glancing at him briefly, she muttered her thanks before taking the pills and cup in her hands, popping the advil in her mouth and slowly gulfing down the coffee. Chad watched her with a smile, "Be careful, that coffee's hot" he warned, turning back to the kitchen, "What do you want for breakfast?" he asked, grabbing two bowls from the cupboard. "We'll have whatever she's having!" Troy called from the doorway to the kitchen. Arm around a smiling Gabriella as the two walked towards the table where Taylor sat. "Good Morning, Tay!" Gabriella greeted her best friend cheerfully, coming to sit next to Troy, a bright smile on her face. Troy sat beside her groggily, obliviously his head throbbing in pain as well. "Morning" Taylor greeted back, replacing the cup on the table.

"Late night?" she gestured to Troy, who leaned sleepily and a bit painfully on his head. "Too many beers!" Troy responded. "All the sports teams at East High were offering me drinks all night!" Troy groaned, rubbing a tired hand over his face. Gabriella rubbed his back, sympathetically. "You'll be fine once we get some breakfast into you" she said. Taylor and Gabriella gave a chuckle, when Chad came from the kitchen, placing a bowl of cereal in front of Taylor and Gabriella. "And how was your night, Tay?" Gabriella turned a curious eye to the silent Taylor, her attention completely on her cereal. "How was your night?. Last time I saw you, you two were quite snuggled under the blanket" Gabriella teased, giggling as Taylor shot her an evil look. "That's all that happened" Chad butted in, placing a bowl of cereal, coffee and pills in front of Troy, before taking a seat next to Taylor with his own bowl of cereal, Taylor was thankful for his rebuttal. "It wasn't the best sleep I ever had, but I had to keep an eye on her" Chad said, glancing towards Taylor who rolled her eyes. "Right, like I could go anywhere's in my sleep!" Taylor said, causing the others to laugh.

"So it was Sharpay behind it all" Gabriella commented. Chad scoffed, "She doesn't know the meaning of giving up!". "Maybe this is part of getting revenge for losing Troy to you, Gabi" Taylor added. "By punishing you, Tay?" Chad commented. "She was probably bored and wanted some fun" Gabriella added, smiling in Chad's direction. "Yea well, she defiantly got me!" Taylor said, holding her head, the throbbing had gone almost completely, except for a slight pain. "If I ever see that blonde witch in designer heels again, I will kill her!" Taylor growled, causing the other three to chuckle in amusement, finding Taylor's anger amusing. Their laughter was suddenly interrupted as the front door was opened and Troy's parents called through the house.

All four pairs of eyes instantly went very wide and their faces pale as they knew that they would now have to face the reality of their parents. As expected, Mrs. Bolton appeared in the doorway of the kitchen, with a shocked expression on her face. The four teenagers greeted her with shy smiles. "Good morning, Mom" Troy greeted his mother with a smile. "Troy Alexander Bolton, you are in serious trouble!" her voice bellowed through the kitchen, shocking the four teens. There stood Troy's mom, pieces of her favourite vase in each hand. "I guess she found the vase" Troy said to himself in dread. "I think we should be going" Chad suddenly said, slowly getting to his feet, Taylor watched him in confusion.

"Your mother will be anxious to see you home, Tay" he said, once more trying to get the point across that they should leave. "Yeah, Tay. Your mom will want to see you" Gabriella said. Catching on, Taylor smiled sympathetically at Mrs. Bolton as she got to her feet. "That's right, I better be leaving" she said. Troy watched the three of them curiously. "Your leaving me?" he asked, a sad puppy-dog look in his eyes. Gabriella patted his hand gently, "I will still be here, babe" she said with a smile. "For support" she said, With a quick farewell to Mrs. Bolton, who was still steaming in the doorway, and Mr. Bolton, and shooting Troy another sympathetic smile, Chad and Taylor dashed out of the kitchen, and diverted towards the living room.

Taylor took a quick scan of the couch and floor to see if she forgot anything, before the two of them went to the door to gather their shoes. "Come on, I'll drive you home" Chad said, opening the door for Taylor, who looked at him in surprise. "You don't have to" she said shyly. "It's a beautiful day, and it's not that far" she advised. Chad gave a small chuckle. "I can't risk it" he said, "God only knows what you could do in your staete!" Chad teased. Taylor gave him a look. "It's much easier if I just drive you" he said, but she seemed unconvinced. "Please?" Chad asked, putting on his best puppy dog look at her. Taylor couldn't help but a light blush burn her cheeks and her anger suddenly melt away like ice cream.

"Fine" she gave up, walking past him, out the door, pretending to ignore the wide smile that was now on both their faces. Taylor's smile only brightened with amusement as she noticed Chad's car, which he had left at Troy's last night. It was a beat up old Chevrolet, the paint was maroon, the seats were of leather, with patches and some holes and an old pair of dice hanging from the rear view mirror. Taylor laughed, "You drive an old Chev?" she asked. "When is it from, the seventy's?" she teased. "Hey!. It was my dad's and the only one I could take yesterday" Chad shot back, also laughing. "Sure, Chad" Taylor continued, opening the door and getting inside. It felt strange being alone in a car with Chad as he started up the engine and carefully backed out of the driveway. There was a little bit of an awkward silence as they began down the road. Taylor fiddled with a string on her pants, Chad noticed this and decided to break the silence. "Did you have fun last night?" he asked suddenly. "You weren't as I expected" he chuckled.

"Excuse me?" Taylor said, rather offended. "I am not as stuck up as people think" she said, crossing her arms. "Apparently not" Chad chuckled again. "But you were a lot of fun" he continued. After going around a turn, he looked at her briefly, saying, "I'm glad I could hang out with you like we did". Taylor's earlier blush now came back in full as Chad's sincere words hit her like bricks. 'Does this mean he wants to be a couple?' she thought to herself. 'Am I ready for that?'. "Hey, why don't we listen to the radio!" Taylor said, breaking the uncomfortable silence between the two, hoping the music would distract her for a little while. Turning the knob on the stereo, the car was filled with the sounds of an old time favourite, **Shook me All Night Long.** Taylor's eyes widened, "I love this song!" she exclaimed.

Chad suddenly turned to her in surprise, "You like ACDC?" he asked, turning his attention back to the road when he realized they'd swerved a bit. "Yes, I do" Taylor said, a bit smugly. "Growing up, my parents always liked to play these kinds of songs, I think it was something to help them feel younger?" she laughed, Chad did as well. "Mine too, my dad would always talk about me getting this car someday" Chad said, "But not like this" Chad chuckled, Taylor did as well.

Chad took another quick moment to glance at Taylor, thinking how amazing she was, and how he had taken getting to know her for granted all these years. Taylor noticed this, a blush deepening on her cheeks. "Keep your eyes on the road, Danforth" she teased, causing him to snap back to attention. "My mom likes it when I get home alive!" she said, chuckling as now a blush was deepening on his own cheeks. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, they pulled up in the McKessie's driveway, slowing to a stop right in front of the garage. Turning off the engine, Chad took a moment to look at Taylor's house; a three story, brick home, satin white curtains hanging in the windows, a small balcony hung over the white front door, which held a small gold knocker. There were four stone steps, and a stone walk that led to it.

"You seemed surprised, Danforth" Taylor said, before climbing out of the old Chevrolet, her stuff in hand. Coming out of his musings, Chad got out as well. "No, your house is great!" Chad said, with a smile, clearly stunned by the beautiful old house before them. Taylor smiled, "Yeah, it's nice old thing" she said, as they walked up the stone path, leading to the front door together. Stepping onto the front steps, Taylor turned to face Chad as they stopped at the front door. "Thanks for everything" Taylor said, a small smile graced her lips. "For taking care of me last night, and hanging out at the party, it really was a lot of fun" she admitted. "All except for the hangover, and making a total dork of myself" she continued with a chuckle.

"Nah, it was fun" Chad admitted."We should do it again sometime" Chad continued, causing Taylor's blush to return, and her heart speed. "Yeah, I'd like that" she said, whole-heartedly, causing Chad's smile to grow wide across his face. There was a moment of silence, before Taylor spoke again, "Well, thanks. Bye" she began, turning to open the door and go inside, when Chad suddenly caught her wrist. Surprised, Taylor turned to him once more. "Taylor" he began, trapping her once more in his gaze. Before she could speak, Chad slowly moved closer to her, Taylor could hear her heart drum wildly in her ears, a tingling sensation fell over her as he got closer. Just as Chad was moments away from kissing Taylor, he turned and instead kissed her gently on the cheek before pulling away, leaving Taylor to look back at him, a little disappointedly.

"Your Welcome for everything" Chad said with a smile, winking at her. Taylor remained still, as if suddenly frozen by his actions. "Bye" he said, giving a little wave before skipping down the steps, and heading back towards his car. Taylor's gaze followed him, a playful smirk now on her lips, a hand raised to gently touch the spot on her cheek where he had kissed her, still hardly believing it. Taylor gave her own little wave as Chad pulled out of the drive and down the road, leaving Taylor to go inside the house, where her family was awaiting her. "Tay?. Is that you?" she heard her mother call, but she never responded, leaning against the door, still in her daze. Taylor finally came back to reality as her mother engulfed her in a huge hug. "How was your night?" her mother asked. "Are you alright?", watching Taylor curiously. Taylor just gave a smile, still not acknowledging her mother, saying, "I'm perfect".

**Authour's Note: Back again, hope you enjoyed that!. Does this mean they are finally Chaylor?. Find out on the next chappie coming soon. I promise not to be too long. Hope you enjoyed, please review!. Thanks again**


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